For Long Term Investors: The Cheapest ETF for Every Commodity

Low cost exposure to agriculture, energy, metals, and more.

After gathering more than $1 trillion in total assets under management, ETFs have cemented their place in the financial world. Among the universe of nearly 1,500 products, commodity funds have garnered a lot of attention, as these products have democratized an asset class that was once difficult to reach by retail investors. Now, there are a number of exchange-traded options to help you gain exposure to your favorite hard assets, all at a low cost.

Even among ETFs, however, there can be significant differentials in fees. It's not uncommon for two products with similar portfolios and investment objectives to sport extreme differences in expense ratios.

In other words, don't assume that all ETFs are cost efficient. Sorting through the exchange-traded options can be a valuable exercise for those looking to cut down on fees. Below, we outline the cheapest ETFs for every major commodity and the results may surprise you.

Note that commodities that have just one ETF are depicted with an asterisk, leaving plenty of room for competition from hopeful issuers.

With plenty of competition in the gold and silver space, it should not come as a major surprise to see both GLD and SLV miss the list, as both IAU and SIVR offer near-identical exposure for lower expenses. The remaining two metals ETFs come from only a short list with little else to choose from, still leaving room for new entrants.

A very clear domination by US Commodity Funds, the issuer behind all of the cheapest energy ETFs. The good news is that there is still plenty of room for newcomers to offer similar funds at lower expenses, as some of the products above are the only ETFs for their respective commodity.